Policy information sourced from The London Plan 2021
G3 Metropolitan Open Land
- Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) is afforded the same status and level of protection as Green Belt: 1) MOL should be protected from inappropriate development in accordance with national planning policy tests that apply to the Green Belt 2) boroughs should work with partners to enhance the quality and range of uses of MOL.
- The extension of MOL designations should be supported where appropriate. Boroughs should designate MOL by establishing that the land meets at least one of the following criteria:
- it contributes to the physical structure of London by being clearly distinguishable from the built-up area
- it includes open air facilities, especially for leisure, recreation, sport, the arts and cultural activities, which serve either the whole or significant parts of London
- it contains features or landscapes (historic, recreational, biodiverse) of either national or metropolitan value
- it forms part of a strategic corridor, node or a link in the network of green infrastructure and meets one of the above criteria.
- Any alterations to the boundary of MOL should be undertaken through the Local Plan process, in consultation with the Mayor and adjoining boroughs. MOL boundaries should only be changed in exceptional circumstances when this is fully evidenced and justified, taking into account the purposes for including land in MOL set out in Part B.
For more information please see The London Plan 2021